ZAMR-EL-KEBYR — Double-beating Reed. Syria. This consists of a conical tube of wood with a double reed mouth-piece.
ZANZE — Sonorous Substances. Africa. A rectangular box or a gourd with a sound-hole generally forms the resonance box. To the surface are attached strips of iron or of hard wood, loose at one end. These are plucked by the thumb and first fingers. People are able to produce a melody from the zanze.
ZEZE See tzetze.
ZICHIREI — Sonorous Substances. Japan. Hollow rings strung on a wire attached to a handle and shaken in giving the alarm of fire.
ZIL — Sonorous Substances. Turkey. Turkish cymbals. See cymbals.
ZINGUE — Sonorous Substances. Persia. Castanets. See castanets.
ZINKEN Or CORNET A BOUQUIN — Cup Mouthpiece. Europe. An obsolete instrument, the predecessor of the serpent and the ancestor of the cornet, which was very popular in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. It was slightly conical in shape, and was made of wood and generally covered with leather. It usually had six finger-holes in front and one in the back for the thumb. The detachable mouth-piece was cone-shaped, the lips being pressed against it to produce the tone. The larger instruments were made of two pieces of wood glued together and leather covered. In tone it was rather harsh. The zinken was used in churches to accompany the service. The supposition is that there was a difference in pitch in the instruments used in church and in secular music.
ZITHER — Plucked Strings. Europe. A shallow sound-box placed upon a table to be played. It was at first merely a sounding-board with strings, similar to a psaltery, but later an addition was made of a fretted finger-board. Over the finger-board are stretched usually three strings, the rest acting as bass strings. The performer is provided with a ring on the right thumb. This ring is partially opened and the dexterity manifested in its use, determines the beauty of the effect. Several efforts have been made to increase the size and the number of strings of the zither, but the result has been merely to detract from the strength of the tone and to render the strings beyond the reach of the hand. The bridge is similar to the violin bridge in that it transmits the vibrations of the strings to the sounding-board. Double zithers are designed for duet playing. Two ordinary zithers are reversed and placed side by side, the sections sometimes varying in construction.
Part of the strings are of gut and part of silk overspun with silver-wire. Johann Petzmayer, an Austrian peasant, by his playing of his native music brought the instrument into public notice. The thumb and the first, second, third, and sometimes the fourth fingers of both hands are used in playing. The left hand is used on the finger-board and the right thumb with its ring plucks the strings passing over the frets, while the fingers of that hand manipulate the bass strings.
ZOBO FLUTE — Vibrating Membranes. A cylindrical tube pierced with one hole and having at one end a vibrating membrane. The instrument is played like the onion flute. See onion flute.
ZOBO HORN — Vibrating Membranes. A conical tube, having at one end a membrane. By humming into the mouthpiece the sound is increased by the vibrations cf the membrane. It is of the present time.
ZOOMMARAH — See zummarah.
ZORAIJA — Vibrating Membranes. Africa. A small bottle-shaped drum resembling the daraboukkeh. Morocco. See daraboukkeh.
ZOURNA or SORNA — Double-beating Reed. Asiatic Russia, Persia. A conical tube of varying length fitted with a double reed mouthpiece. The Turkish name is zamr.
ZOURNA or ZAMR — Double-beating Reed. Africa, Persia, Arabia and Turkey. A conical tube of wood with finger-holes and usually with additional holes in the bell for altering the pitch.
ZUMMARAH — Single-beating Reed. Egypt. Two tubes of bamboo are bound together with a waxed cord. Each has a smaller tube for a mouthpiece in the side of which is cut a vibrating tongue. There are six holes in each pipe. Also spelled zoommarah.
